1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system, and more specifically to MR Imaging system which allows interactive selection of imaging planes during imaging.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional magnetic resonance (MR) Imaging systems, the three dimensional position of a desired region of the patient to be imaged must be provided to the MR imaging system before obtaining the image. In addition to the position, the three dimensional orientation must also be provided. Together these define an `imaging plane`. These locations and orientations typically are provided to the system manually. Even though the computations may not be difficult, it makes it cumbersome to produce several images at different orientations.
With new open magnet MR imaging systems, such as (Atty. Docket No. RD-23,268) referenced above, it is possible to perform medical procedures on a subject and simultaneously acquire MR images. When a medical procedure, such as surgery, is being performed, it is very desirable to minimize the time required to calculate position and orientation of `imaging planes` to acquire images.
Currently there is a need for an MR imaging system which provides MR images of selected internal structures of a patient undergoing a medical procedure in which an operator may easily indicate an imaging plane, and acquire an image of the subject from that plane.